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Table of Contents
Communities of Salt and Light
Communities of Salt and Light: Anchoring Discipleship in Prayer and Worship
Communities of Salt and Light: Forming Disciples through Preaching and Education
Communities of Salt and Light: Living as Disciples 24/7
Communities of Salt and Light: Responding with Charitable Works
Communities of Salt and Light: Responding with Social Justice
Communities of Salt and Light: Being Neighbors
Communities of Salt and Light: Reflections on the Social Mission of the Parish
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Items of Interest
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Quotes from Church documents about issues of human life, justice and peace
Reflections on Poverty in America
Promoting Life and Dignity Around the World
What Your Advocacy Has Accomplished
Quotes from Church documents about the international debt crisis
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USCCB > Beliefs and Teachings > What We Believe > Catholic Social Teaching
Communities of Salt and Light:
Reflections on the Social Mission of the
Parish
This statement offers a basic resource for pastors, parish leaders, and all Catholics
seeking to strengthen the social ministry of their local community. The bishops’
reflection represents neither major new teaching nor a new national program. Rather,
it brings together the principles of our social teaching and local pastoral experience in a
framework for vibrant Catholic communities. This statement is complemented by
WeAreSaltAndLight.org, an online resource hub from USCCB designed to help
communities assess and strengthen this expression of missionary discipleship. Other
print and online resources concerning social mission, discipleship, and evangelization are
available from the USCCB Store.
Purchase printed copies of this resource online from the USCCB Store.
Table of Contents
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Introduction
The Roots of Parish Social Mission
The Social Mission of the Parish: A Framework for Integration
 Anchoring Social Ministry: Prayer and Worship
 Sharing the Message: Preaching and Education
 Supporting the "Salt of the Earth": Family, Work, Citizenship
 Serving the "Least of These": Outreach and Charity
 Advocating for Justice: Legislative Action
 Creating Community: Organizing for Justice
 Building Solidarity: Beyond Parish Boundaries
Lessons Learned
 Rooting Social Ministry in Faith
 Respecting Diversity
 Leadership: Pastors, Councils, Committees, and Educators
 Links to Diocesan Structures
 Practicing What We Preach
 Some Difficulties and Dangers
A Final Word of Appreciation, Support, and Challenge
Discussion/Assessment Questions
Introduction
The parish is where the Church lives. Parishes are communities of faith, of action, and of
hope. They are where the gospel is proclaimed and celebrated, where believers are
formed and sent to renew the earth. Parishes are the home of the Christian community;
they are the heart of our Church. Parishes are the place where God's people meet Jesus in
word and sacrament and come in touch with the source of the Church's life.
One of the most encouraging signs of the gospel at work in our midst is the vitality and
quality of social justice ministries in our parishes. Across the country, countless local
communities of faith are serving those in need, working for justice, and sharing our social
teaching as never before. Millions of parishioners are applying the gospel and church
teaching in their own families, work, and communities. More and more, the social justice
dimensions of our faith are moving from the fringes of parishes to become an integral
part of local Catholic life.
We welcome and applaud this growing recognition of and action on the social mission of
the parish. We offer these brief reflections to affirm and support pastors and parish
leaders in this essential task and to encourage all parishes to take up this challenge with
renewed commitment, creativity, and urgency.
In the past decade, we have written major pastoral letters on peace and economic justice
and issued pastoral statements on a number of important issues touching human life and
human dignity. But until now, we have not specifically addressed the crucial role of
parishes in the Church's social ministry. We offer these words of support, encouragement,
and challenge at this time because we are convinced that the local parish is the most
important ecclesial setting for sharing and acting on our Catholic social heritage. We
hope that these reflections can help pastors, parish staffs, parish councils, social concerns
committees, and other parishioners strengthen the social justice dimensions of their own
parish life. This focus on the social mission of the parish complements and strengthens
the call to evangelization found in our statement Go and Make Disciples: A National
Plan and Strategy for Catholic Evangelization in the United States.
We offer a framework for integration rather than a specific model or new national
program. We seek to affirm and encourage local parish commitment and creativity in
social ministry. We know pastors and parish leaders do not need another program to carry
forward or more expectations to meet. We see the parish dimensions of social ministry
not as an added burden, but as a part of what keeps a parish alive and makes it truly
Catholic. Effective social ministry helps the parish not only do more, but be more more
of a reflection of the gospel, more of a worshiping and evangelizing people, more of a
faithful community. It is an essential part of parish life.
This is not a new message, but it takes on new urgency in light of the increasing clarity
and strength of Catholic social teaching and the signs of declining respect for human life
and human dignity in society. We preach a gospel of justice and peace in a rapidly
changing world and troubled nation. Our faith is tested by the violence, injustice, and
moral confusion that surround us. In this relatively affluent nation, a fourth of our
children under six grow up in poverty. 1 Each year in our nation, 1.6 million children are
destroyed before birth by abortion. 2 And every day, 40,000 children die from hunger and
its consequences around the world. 3 In our streets and neighborhoods, violence destroys
the hopes, dreams, and lives of too many children. In our local communities, too many
cannot find decent work, housing, health care, or education. In our families, parents
struggle to raise children with dignity, hope, and basic values.
Our faith stands in marked contrast to these grim realities. At a time of rampant
individualism, we stand for family and community. At a time of intense consumerism, we
insist it is not what we have, but how we treat one another that counts. In an age that does
not value permanence or hard work in relationships, we believe marriage is forever and
children are a blessing, not a burden. At a time of growing isolation, we remind our
nation of its responsibility to the broader world, to pursue peace, to welcome immigrants,
to protect the lives of hurting children and refugees. At a time when the rich are getting
richer and the poor are getting poorer, we insist the moral test of our society is how we
treat and care for the weakest among us.
In these challenging days, we believe that the Catholic community needs to be more than
ever a source of clear moral vision and effective action. We are called to be the "salt of
the earth" and "light of the world" in the words of the Scriptures (cf. Mt 5:13-16). This
task belongs to every believer and every parish. It cannot be assigned to a few or simply
delegated to diocesan or national structures. The pursuit of justice and peace is an
essential part of what makes a parish Catholic.
In urban neighborhoods, in suburban communities, and in rural areas, parishes serve as
anchors of hope and communities of caring, help families meet their own needs and reach
out to others, and serve as centers of community life and networks of assistance.
The Roots of Parish Social Mission
The roots of this call to justice and charity are in the Scriptures, especially in the Hebrew
prophets and the life and words of Jesus. Parish social ministry has clear biblical roots.
In the gospel according to Luke, Jesus began his public life by reading a passage from
Isaiah that introduced his ministry and the mission of every parish. The parish must
proclaim the transcendent message of the gospel and help:
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bring "good news to the poor" in a society where millions lack the necessities of
life;
bring "liberty to captives" when so many are enslaved by poverty, addiction,
ignorance, discrimination, violence, or disabling conditions;
bring "new sight to the blind" in a culture where the excessive pursuit of power or
pleasure can spiritually blind us to the dignity and rights of others; and
"set the downtrodden free" in communities where crime, racism, family
disintegration, and economic and moral forces leave people without real hope (cf.
Lk 4:18).
Our parish communities are measured by how they serve "the least of these" in our parish
and beyond its boundaries-the hungry, the homeless, the sick, those in prison, the stranger
(cf. Mt 25:31). Our local families of faith are called to "hunger and thirst for justice" and
to be "peacemakers" in our own communities (c Mt 5:6,9). A parish cannot really
proclaim the gospel if its message is not reflected in its own community life. The biblical
call to charity, justice, and peace claims not only each believer, but also each community
where believers gather for worship, formation, and pastoral care.
Over the last century, these biblical mandates have been explored and expressed in a
special way in Catholic social teaching. The central message is simple: our faith is
profoundly social. We cannot be called truly "Catholic" unless we hear and heed the
Church's call to serve those in need and work for justice and peace. We cannot call
ourselves followers of Jesus unless we take up his mission of bringing "good news to the
poor, liberty to captives, and new sight to the blind" (cf. Lk 4:18).
The Church teaches that social justice is an integral part of evangelization, a constitutive
dimension of preaching the gospel, and an essential part of the Church's mission. The
links between justice and evangelization are strong and vital. We cannot proclaim a
gospel we do not live, and we cannot carry out a real social ministry without knowing the
Lord and hearing his call to justice and peace. Parish communities must show by their
deeds of love and justice that the gospel they proclaim is fulfilled in their actions. This
tradition is not empty theory; it challenges our priorities as a nation, our choices as a
Church, our values as parishes. It has led the Church to stand with the poor and
vulnerable against the strong and powerful. It brings occasional controversy and conflict,
but it also brings life and vitality to the People of God. It is a sign of our faithfulness to
the gospel.
The center of the Church's social teaching is the life, dignity, and rights of the human
person. We are called in a special way to serve the poor and vulnerable; to build bridges
of solidarity among peoples of differing races and nations, language and ability, gender
and culture. Family life and work have special places in Catholic social teaching; the
rights of the unborn, families, workers, immigrants, and the poor deserve special
protection. Our tradition also calls us to show our respect for the Creator by our care for
creation and our commitment to work for environmental justice. This vital tradition is an
essential resource for parish life. It offers a framework and direction for our social
ministry, calling us to concrete works of charity, justice, and peacemaking. 4
The Social Mission of the Parish: A Framework of Integration
In responding to the Scriptures and the principles of Catholic ,social teaching, parishes
are not called to an extra or added dimension of our faith, but to a central demand of
Catholic life and evangelization. We recognize the sometimes overwhelming demands on
parish leadership and resources. We know it is easier to write about these challenges than
to carry them out day by day. But we believe the Church's social mission is an essential
measure of every parish community, and it needs more attention and support within our
parishes.
Our parishes are enormously diverse-in where and who they serve, in structures and
resources, in their members and leaders. This diversity is reflected in how parishes shape
their social ministry. The depth and range of activity are most impressive. Across our
country, parishioners offer their time, their money, and their leadership to a wide variety
of efforts to meet needs and change structures. Parishes are deeply involved in meeting
their members needs, serving the hungry and homeless, welcoming the stranger and
immigrant, reaching out to troubled families, advocating for just public policies,
organizing for safer and better communities, and working creatively for a more peaceful
world. Our communities and ministries have been greatly enriched and nourished by the
faith and wisdom of parishioners who experience injustice and all those who work for
greater justice.
There has been tremendous growth of education, outreach, advocacy, and organizing in
parishes. From homeless shelters to prayer services, from food pantries to legislative
networks, from global education programs to neighborhood organizing, parishes are
responding. But in some parishes the social justice dimensions of parish life are still
neglected, underdeveloped, or touch only a few parishioners.
We have much to learn from those parishes that are leading the way in making social
ministry an integral part of parish ministry and evangelization. We need to build local
communities of faith where our social teaching is central, not fringe; where social
ministry is integral, not optional; where it is the work of every believer, not just the
mission of a few committed people and committees.
For too many parishioners, our social teaching is an unknown tradition. In too many
parishes, social ministry is a task for a few, not a challenge for the entire parish
community. We believe we are just beginning to realize our potential as a community of
faith committed to serve those in need and to work for greater justice.
The parishes that are leaders in this area see social ministry not as a specialized ministry,
but as an integral part of the entire parish. They weave the Catholic social mission into
every aspect of parish life-worship, formation, and action. They follow a strategy of
integration and collaboration, which keeps social ministry from becoming isolated or
neglected.
A framework of integration might include the following elements.
Anchoring Social Ministry: Prayer and Worship
The most important setting for the Church's social teaching is not in a food pantry or in a
legislative committee room, but in prayer and worship, especially gathered around the
altar for the Eucharist. It is in the liturgy that we find the fundamental direction,
motivation, and strength for social ministry. Social ministry not genuinely rooted in
prayer can easily burn itself out. On the other hand, worship that does not reflect the
Lord's call to conversion, service, and justice can become pious ritual and empty of the
gospel.
We support new efforts to integrate liturgy and justice, to make clear that we are one
people united in faith, worship, and works of charity and justice. We need to be a Church
that helps believers recognize Jesus in the breaking of the bread and those without bread.
Eucharist, penance, confirmation, and the other sacraments have essential social
dimensions that ought to be appropriately reflected in how we celebrate, preach, and
pray. Those who plan and preside at our worship can help the parish community
understand more clearly the spiritual and scriptural roots of our pursuit of justice without
distorting or imposing on the liturgy.
Our social ministry must be anchored in prayer, where we uncover the depths of God's
call to seek justice and pursue peace. In personal prayer, the reading of the Scriptures,
and quiet reflection on the Christian vocation, we discover the social mission of every
believer. In serving those in need, we serve the Lord. In seeking justice and peace, we
witness to the reign of God in our midst. In prayer, we find the reasons, the strength, and
the call to follow Jesus in the ways of charity, justice, and peace.
The consistent life ethic is the theme around which social ministry is
organized at St. Isaac Jogues Parish in Orlando, Florida. The parish respect
life coordinator works with other parish leaders on activities and advocacy
in such areas as pro-life, aging, disabilities, and social justice. Together,
they try to root their work in prayer and in the common theme of the dignity
of human life. In November, they sponsor a Consistent Life Ethic Prayer
Service, to which they invite members of the parish and members of other
nearby churches. In January, they sponsor a prayer service that focuses on
nonviolence--before and after birth. On St. Francis Day, they sponsor a
blessing of animals.
"We hope these events are opportunities for conversion," say parishioner
Deborah Shearer. "In addition to times of prayer, they are opportunities for
education on the full meaning of respect for life."
Sharing the Message: Preaching and Education
We are called to share our social teaching more effectively in our parishes than we have.
Our social doctrine is an integral part of our faith; we need to pass it on clearly,
creatively, and consistently. It is a remarkable spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral resource
that has been too little known or appreciated even in our own community.
Preaching that reflects the social dimensions of the gospel is indispensable. Priests should
not and need not impose an agenda on the liturgy to preach about justice. Rather, we urge
those who preach not to ignore the regular opportunities provided by the liturgy to
connect our faith and our everyday lives, to share biblical values on justice and peace.
Week after week, day after day, the lectionary calls the community to reflect on the
scriptural message of justice and peace. The pulpit is not a partisan rostrum and to try to
make it one would be a mistake, but preaching that ignores the social dimensions of our
faith does not truly reflect the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Our social doctrine must also be an essential part of the curriculum and life of our
schools, religious education programs, sacramental preparation, and Christian initiation
activities. We need to share and celebrate our common social heritage as Catholics,
developing materials and training tools that ensure that we are sharing our social teaching
in every educational ministry of our parishes. Every parish should regularly assess how
well our social teaching is shared in its formation and educational ministries.
Young people learned firsthand about the social mission of the Church at
St. Mary's Parish in Richmond, Virginia. Beginning in junior high school,
every religious education class selects a single social issue on which to
focus both direct service and advocacy during the school year. Last year the
class, whose issue was homelessness, served food at a homeless shelter and
assisted with a parish-sponsored sheltering program. They also wrote to
their state legislators encouraging increased funding for homeless programs
and a state Earned Income Tax Credit (ETC) to help the working poor.
Supporting the "Salt of the Earth": Family, Work, Citizenship
Our parishes are clearly called to help people live their faith in the world, helping them to
understand and act on the social dimensions of the gospel in their everyday lives.
National statements, diocesan structures, or parish committees can be useful, but they are
no substitute for the everyday choices and commitments of believers-acting as parents,
workers, students, owners, investors, advocates, policy makers and citizens.
For example, parishes are called to support their members in:
building and sustaining marriages of quality, fidelity, equality, and permanence in an age
that does not value commitment or hard work in relationships;
raising families with gospel values in a culture where materialism, selfishness, and
prejudice still shape so much of our lives;
being a good neighbor; welcoming newcomers and immigrants; treating people of
different races, ethnic groups, and nationalities with respect and kindness;
seeing themselves as evangelizers who recognize the unbreakable link between spreading
the gospel and work for social justice;
bringing Christian values and virtues into the marketplace
treating co-workers, customers, and competitors with respect and fairness, demonstrating
economic initiative, and practicing justice;
bringing integrity and excellence to public service and community responsibilities,
seeking the common good, respecting human life, and promoting human dignity;
providing leadership in unions, community groups, professional associations, and
political organizations at a time of rising cynicism and indifference.
In short, our parishes need to encourage, support, and sustain lay people in living their
faith in the family, neighborhood, marketplace, and public arena. It is lay women and
men, placing their gifts at the service of others (cf. 1 Pt 4:10), who will be God's primary
instruments in renewing the earth by their leadership and faithfulness in the community.
The most challenging work for justice is not done in church committees, but in the
secular world of work, family life, and citizenship.
"In this situation, what does love--the commitment to others and the needy
among us--require?" This kind of question might be posed by one of
eighteen Vocation Reflection Groups sponsored by St. Martha's Parish in
Akron, Ohio. Open to all in the community, the groups are organized by
occupation--lawyers, educators, counsellors, journalists, and others--as well
as one general group for those who do not fit in the other seventeen. They
meet monthly to reflect on their work and to discuss how they can apply
their beliefs and values in their workplaces. Fr. Norman Douglas, pastor of
St. Martha's, helps lay facilitators from each group plan each meeting.
Occasional workshops and panels provide in-service educational credits.
During Sunday liturgies, Fr. Douglas also tries to acknowledges how
people's work life is related to ministry. For example, when the readings
focus on Jesus as healer, those involved in health care occupations are
invited to stand after communion for a special blessing. "We try to infuse
the spirituality of all of life into what is already going on in the parish,"
explains Fr. Douglas. "We focus on practical spirituality lived out in the
real world."
Serving the "Least of These": Outreach and Charity
Parishes are called to reach out to the hurting, the poor, and the vulnerable in our midst in
concrete acts of charity. Just as the gospel tells us our lives will be judged by our
response to the "least of these," so too our parishes should be measured by our help for
the hungry, the homeless, the troubled, and the alienated-in our own community and
beyond. This is an area of creativity and initiative with a wide array of programs,
partnerships with Catholic Charities, and common effort with other churches. Thousands
of food pantries; hundreds of shelters; and uncounted outreach programs for poor
families, refugees, the elderly, and others in need are an integral part of parish life. The
parish is the most significant place where new immigrants and refugees are welcomed
into our Church and community. A Church that teaches an option for the poor must
reflect that option in our service of those in need. Parish efforts to meet human needs also
provides valuable experience, expertise, and credibility in advocating for public policy to
address the forces that leave people in need of our charity.
Catholic teaching calls us to serve those in need and to change the structures that deny
people their dignity and rights as children of God. Service and action, charity and justice
are complementary components of parish social ministry. Neither alone is sufficient; both
are essential signs of the gospel at work. A parish serious about social ministry will offer
opportunities to serve those in need and to advocate for justice and peace. These are not
competing priorities, but two dimensions of the same fundamental mission to protect the
life and dignity of the human person.
St. Augustine's Parish in Spokane, Washington, combines service to those
in need in the local community with international outreach. When Catholic
Charities purchased the former Shriners Hospital, the parish social concerns
committee mobilized volunteers to sort through the beds, wheelchairs, and
other medical equipment that it contained and ship it to West Africa for use
in a children's hospital in Ghana. What was not shipped was auctioned, with
proceeds of the auction used to convert the hospital structure into
apartments for single parents and their children.
Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Parish on Long Island, New York, had a
well-established outreach program that offered food, clothing, and financial
assistance for rent and other needs. Many who sought help wanted to work,
but could not find jobs. Many lacked training and education, and some had
been in jail.
With support from Catholic Charities of Rockville Centre, parishioners
established a job training and referral service. Volunteers help the
unemployed identify training programs and jobs through local papers and
other employment services. Parishioners identify jobs in their own
companies or odd jobs at home. A parishioner with a background in
personnel helps with rsums and interviewing skills. Clients with little work
experience are offered volunteer opportunities at the parish. Recently, the
local Department of Labor set up an outreach site at the parish.
"We're acting on church teaching about the dignity of work," explains
Louise Sandberg, coordinator of outreach for the parish. "We're happy that
so many people have gotten jobs."
Advocating for Justice: Legislative Action
Parishes need to promote a revived sense of political responsibility calling Catholics to be
informed and active citizens, participating in the debate over the values and vision that
guide our communities and nation. Parishes as local institutions have special
opportunities to develop leaders, to promote citizenship, and to provide forums for
discussion and action on public issues. Religious leaders need to act in public affairs with
a certain modesty, knowing that faith is not a substitute for facts, that values must be
applied in real and complex situations, and that people of common faith and good will
can disagree on specifics. But parishioners are called to use their talents, the resources of
our faith, and the opportunities of this democracy to shape a society more respectful of
the life, dignity, and rights of the human person. Parishes can help lift up the moral and
human dimension of public issues, calling people to informed participation in the
political process.
The voices of parishioners need to be heard on behalf of vulnerable children-born and
unborn-on behalf of those who suffer discrimination and injustice, on behalf of those
without health care or housing, on behalf of our land and water, our communities and
neighborhoods. Parishioners need to bring our values and vision into the debates about a
changing world and shifting national priorities. Parishes and parishioners are finding
diverse ways to be political without being partisan, joining legislative networks,
community organizations, and other advocacy groups. In election years, parishes offer
nonpartisan voter registration, education, and forums to involve and inform their
members. This kind of genuine political responsibility strengthens local communities as it
enriches the witness of our parishes.
Parishioners at Corpus Christi Parish in Roseville, Minnesota, are
expanding their social ministry to include legislative action. They have set
up a parish phone tree with more than thirty members who call or write
their elected representative on policy issues affecting children and the poor.
As a part of "Voices for Justice," the legislative network of the Archdiocese
of St. Paul and Minneapolis, they receive regular "action alerts" on state
and federal issues.
At each Mass one recent Sunday, the parish advocacy group spoke in
support of a proposal to provide state financing and child care for welfare
mothers to complete their education. Postcards were made available in the
church vestibule, and over 400 parishioners wrote to their legislators in
support of the program.
"We think social justice is an integral part of living our faith," explains
parishioner Nonnie Andre. "We need to make the system work for all
peopole. We can't just stand back and say we wish it would work. We need
to make it work. We need to be the voices for those who have no voice in
legislation decisions.
Creating Community: Organizing for Justice
Many parishes are joining with other churches and groups to rebuild a sense of
community in their own neighborhoods and towns. Parish leaders are taking the time to
listen to the concerns of their members and are organizing to act on those concerns. These
kind of church-based and community organizations are making a difference on housing,
crime, education, and economic issues in local communities. Parish participation in such
community efforts develops leaders, provides concrete handles to deal with key issues,
and builds the capacity of the parish to act on our values.
The Campaign for Human Development has provided vital resources to many self-help
organizations empowering the poor to seek greater justice. Parish support and
participation in these organizations help put Catholic social teaching into action and to
revitalize local communities.
In the south Phoenix, Arizona, neighborhood where St. Catherine Parish is
located, gangs ruled the streets and drive-by shootings were terrorizing the
community. St. Catherine's parishioners decided they had to do something.
They contacted an organizer from the Valley Interfaith project, which is
funded by the Campaign for Human Development, and conducted a sixmonth series of meetings focused on the problems in the neighborhood and
the need for community leaders and developed a six-point plan with the
police and local schools to take back their neighborhood. Street violence
was reduced, and the number of parents participating in school events went
from twenty to two hundred. Plans are underway with the city of Phoenix to
build a multicultural recreation center in the community. And St. Catherine
is now working with other churches in Phoenix on wider issues on justice.
Building Solidarity: Beyond Parish Boundaries
Parishes are called to be communities of solidarity. Catholic social teaching more than
anything else insists that we are one family; it calls us to overcome barrier of race,
religion, ethnicity, gender, economic status, and nationality. We are one in Christ Jesus
(cf. Gal 3:28)beyond our differences and boundaries.
Parishes need to be bridge-builders, reminding us that we are part of a Universal Church
with ties of faith and humanity to sisters and brothers all over the world. Programs of
parish twinning, support for Catholic Relief Services, mission efforts, migration and
refugee activities, and other global ministries are signs of solidarity in a shrinking and
suffering world. Advocacy on human rights, development and peace through legislative
networks, and other efforts are also signs of a faith without boundaries and a parish
serious about its social responsibilities. A key test of a parish's "Catholicity" is its
willingness to go beyond its boundaries to serve those in need and work for global justice
and peace. Working with others for common goals across religious, racial, ethnic, and
other lines is another sign of solidarity in action.
We hope these seven elements of the social mission of parishes can serve as a framework
for planning and assessing parish social ministry. The more practical resources that
accompany these reflections may offer some help and assistance in meeting these
challenges. National and diocesan structures have materials, resources, and personnel to
help parishes assess and strengthen their social ministry.
At Our Lady of the Miraculous Medial Parish in Los Angeles, California,
Catholic Relief Service's Operation Rice Bowl helps parishioners learn
about human needs around the globe and offers them an opportunity to act
to address those needs. Throughout their Lenten observances--at Masses, in
the bulletin, during their Soup Night--information is provided about the
international relief programs funded by Operation Rice Bowl (ORB) and
the importance of support for this program by U.S. parishes. Families are
encouraged to use ORB materials in their own Lenten programs of prayer,
fasting, and almsgiving. To supplement the money raised through
individual gifts, parishioners sell bread from a local "Justice Baker." A
portion of the proceeds from these sales is kept by the parish and
contributed to Operation Rice Bowl programs.
Lessons Learned
Many parishes have found their community to integrate more fully the social justice
dimensions life enriched and strengthened by a serious effort of our faith. They have also
learned some lessons.
Rooting Social Ministry in Faith
Parish social action should flow clearly from our faith. It is Jesus who calls us to this
task. Social ministry is an expression of who we are and what we believe; it must be
anchored in the Scriptures and church teaching. With the eyes of faith, we see every
"crack baby" or person with AIDS, every Haitian refugee or Salvadoran immigrant, every
victim of unjust discrimination, and every person combatting addiction as a child of God,
a sister or brother, as Jesus in disguise. These are not simply social problems, economic
troubles, or political issues. They are moral tragedies and religious tests. Parish social
ministry is first and foremost a work of faith.
The social mission of the parish begins in the gospel's call to conversion; to change our
hearts and our lives; to follow in the path of charity, justice, and peace. The parish is the
place we should regularly hear the call to conversion and find help in answering the
Lord's call to express our faith in concrete acts of charity and justice.
Respecting Diversity
We are a very diverse community of faithracially, ethnically, economically, and
ideologically. This diversity should be respected, reflected, and celebrated in our social
ministry. For example, what works in a predominately African American parish in an
urban neighborhood may not be appropriate for a largely white suburban or rural
congregation. The issues, approaches, and structures may differ, but our common values
unite us. Social justice coalitions across racial, ethnic, and geographic lines can be an
impressive sign of the unity of the Body of Christ.
Leadership: Pastors, Councils, Committees, and Educators
While pursuing social justice is a task for every believer, strengthening parish social
ministry depends on the skill and commitment of particular parish leaders. Pastors and
parish priests have special responsibilities to support integral social ministry. By their
preaching, participation, and priorities, they indicate what is important and what is not.
They can make it clear that social justice is a mission of the whole parish, not a
preoccupation of a few. They are called to teach the authentic social doctrine of the
universal Church.
Other parish staff members and leaders play crucial roles in shaping the quality of parish
social ministry. Parish councils in their important planning and advisory functions can
help place social ministry in the center parish life. Councils can be a means of
collaboration and integration, bringing together liturgy, formation, outreach, and action
into a sense of common mission. Councils can play a valuable role in assessing current
efforts, setting priorities for the future, and building bridges between parish ministries.
Many parishes have special committees focused on social concerns. These structures can
play crucial roles in helping the parish community act on the social justice dimensions of
its overall mission. Some parishes have staff members who coordinate social ministry
efforts. This is a promising development. These committees and coordinators best serve
parishes by facilitating and enabling the participation of the parish community, rather
than simply doing the work on behalf of the parish.
Educators in parish schools, religious education, and formation efforts have special
responsibility to share our tradition of social justice as an integral part of our faith. They
shape the leaders of the future and by, their teaching and example share the social
dimensions of our Catholic faith.
Creative and competent leaders-clerical and lay, professional and volunteer-are
indispensable for effective parish social ministry. They deserve more assistance,
encouragement, financial support, and tools to help them fulfill these demanding roles.
Leadership development efforts and ongoing training help parishes strengthen their social
ministry capacity.
Links to Diocesan Structures
No parish functions totally by itself. Parish leaders often look to other parishes and
diocesan social justice structures for help in fulfilling these responsibilities. Almost all
dioceses have social justice structures that offer resources and training for parishes. These
structures are diverse including justice and peace commissions, social action offices,
CHD funding and education efforts, rural life offices, and parish social ministry programs
of Catholic Charities. Other diocesan groups also offer opportunities for service and
action for parishes, for example, Councils of Catholic Women, St. Vincent De Paul
Society, Ladies of Charity, ecumenical advocacy and outreach efforts. Many dioceses
offer specific "handles" for parish action-legislative networks, work on specific issues or
needs, convening parish leaders, providing educational programs coordinating outreach,
and so forth. For the most part, parishes cannot go it alone in this area. It is just as clear
that diocesan social action can only be effective if it builds parish capacity. Good ties
between diocesan and parish efforts are indispensable.
Practicing What We Preach
We also need to try to practice in our own parishes what we preach to others about justice
and participation. Too often we are better at talking about justice than demonstrating it,
more committed to these values in the abstract than in our everyday ministry. We
acknowledge this not to minimize our common efforts, but to acknowledge how far we
have yet to go before we fully close the gap between our principles and our performance.
Sensitive, competent, and compassionate pastoral care is an expression of justice. Parish
plans and priorities-as well as the use of parish facilities-that reflect the social mission of
the Church are expressions of justice. Investing parish resources in social justice and
empowering the poor are also expressions of justice. Just personnel policies, fair wages,
and equal opportunity efforts are expressions of justice. Respecting and responding to the
cultural and ethnic diversity of the communities we serve is an expression of justice.
Recognizing the contributions and welcoming the participation of all members of the
parish whatever their race, gender, ethnic background, nationality, or disability-these are
integral elements of parishes seeking justice.
Some Difficulties and Dangers
In reflecting on the social mission of the parish, the opportunities seem clear. So do some
of the difficulties. One danger is the tendency to isolate social ministry, to confine it to
the margins of parish life. Another is for social action leaders to isolate themselves,
treating the parish as a target rather than a community to be served and empowered.
Another danger is potential partisanship, the temptation to try to use the parish for
inappropriate political objectives. We need to make sure our faith shapes our political
action, not the other way around. We cannot forget that we pursue the kingdom of God,
not some earthly vision or ideological cause.
A significant challenge is to avoid divisiveness; to emphasize the common ground among
social service and social action, education and advocacy, pro-life and social justice,
economic development and environmental commitment.
We need to work together to reflect a comprehensive concern for the human person in
our parish.
Another danger is to try to do too much on too many issues, without clear priorities and
an effective plan of action. Not everyone can do everything, but the parish should be a
sign of unity in pursuing a consistent concern for human life and human dignity.
The final and most serious danger is for parish leaders to act as if the social ministry of
the Church was the responsibility of someone else. Every believer is called to serve those
in need, to work for justice, and to pursue peace. Every parish has the mission to help its
members act on their faith in the world.
A Final Word of Appreciation, Support, and Challenge
We close these brief reflections with a word of support and encouragement for pastors
and parish leaders. The social ministry of the Church is not just another burden, another
set of expectations to feel bad about, though in these demanding days it may sometimes
seem that way.
The social ministry is already a part of your ministry and leadership. We hope these
reflections help you and those you work with to explore how best to carry out this part of
your parish's mission. What is strong already? What can be further developed? What
needs greater attention? How, given limited time and resources and other obligations, can
our parish better share and act on the social justice demands of the gospel?
The Catholic community has been making steady progress in this area. We seek to build
on and share these achievements. We know from experience that parishes that strengthen
their social ministry enrich every aspect of their parish, bringing increased life and
vitality, greater richness, and community to their entire family of faith.
We offer our gratitude and admiration to those who are leading and helping our parishes
act on their social mission. We pledge our support to those who pursue this important
challenge with new commitment and energy.
In the gospel, we read how John the Baptist's followers came to Jesus and asked, "Are
you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?" Jesus responded in this way:
"Go and tell John what you hear and see: The blind regain their sight, the lame walk,
lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news
proclaimed to them" (Mt 11:3-5).
These are still the signs of Christ among us-parishes across our country who in their own
ways are caring for the sick, opening eyes and ears, helping life overcome death, and
preaching the good news to the poor.
Today, more than ever, our parishes are called to be communities of "salt" and "light"; to
help believers live their faith in their families, communities, work, and world. We need
parishes that will not "lose their flavor" nor put their "light under a basket." We seek to
build evangelizing communities of faith, justice, and solidarity, where all believers are
challenged to bring God's love, justice, and peace to a world in desperate need of the
seasoning of the gospel and the light of Catholic teaching.
Notes
17. U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, 1990.
18. Allan Guttmacher Institute, 1991.
19. UNICEF, State of the World's Children, 1992.
20. For a more extensive treatment of Catholic social teaching, see A Century of
Social Teaching: A Common Heritage, A Continuing Challenge. A Pastoral
Message of the Catholic Bishops of the United States on the 100th Anniversary of
"Rerum Novarum" (Washington, D.C.: United States Catholic Conference, 1990).
Discussion/Assessment (Questions)
. . . (W)e believe the Church's social mission is an essential measure of every parish
community . . . . We need to build local communities of faith where our social teaching is
central, not fringe; where social ministry is integral, not optional; where it is the work of
every believer, not just the mission of a few committed people and committees"
(Communities of Salt and Light, p. 4).
The following questions are based on the framework for integrating social ministry
throughout parish life contained in Communities of Salt and Light. They are designed to
help pastors, parish councils, staff, committees, and other groups reflect on their parish's
social ministry. They provide an opportunity to do a general assessment that can identify
both strengths and weaknesses in efforts to integrate the Church's social mission into
various aspects of parish ministry. This general assessment can lead to further discussions
by those responsible for each area of ministry.
Anchoring Social Ministry: Prayer and Worship
21. In what ways does our parish worship reflect Christ's call to conversion, to
service, and to working for justice?
22. During the liturgy, in what ways is the gospel's call to build peace, work for
justice, and care for the poor regularly reflected in the general intercessions, in
homilies, in our celebrations of special feast days and holidays, and at other
appropriate times?
23. How do our sacramental celebrations help us renew our commitment to
reconciliation throughout our lives and rededicate ourselves to Jesus' message of
love and justice, especially for those in need?
24. What opportunities for prayer, scripture study, and reflection on our Christian
vocation does our parish offer? How is our social mission incorporated into these
activities?
25. In what ways are our social ministry efforts clearly rooted in Scripture and
spirituality, and connected to liturgy and prayer?
Sharing the Message:Preaching and Education
26. How effectively does preaching at our parish reflect the social dimensions of our
faith?
27. In what ways is our rich heritage of Catholic social teaching integrated into our
school curriculum?
 our religious education program?
 our sacramental preparation program?
 our Christian initiation ministry?
 our ongoing religious formation and enrichment for adults?
Supporting the "Salt of the Earth": Family, Work, Citizenship
28. Sustaining Christian marriage and shaping family life around gospel values can be
difficult in our culture. What concrete and practical support does our parish offer
 to married couples and to those preparing for marriage (counsel, retreats,
small faith communities)?
 to parents (parenting skills workshops, support groups)?
29. An important opportunity for living our faith is through our work, in everyday
decisions and actions, in the way we treat coworkers and customers. How does
our parish support our members in practicing Christianvalues in the workplace?
30. In what ways are parishioners providing leadership in unions, community groups,
professional associations, and political organizations? How does our parish
support them as they live their faith in these leadership roles?
Serving the "Least of These': Outreach and Charity
31. In what ways is our parish serving those in need?
32. How do parishioners become aware of these opportunities for service and action?
3. How effectively have we involved our parish community in our social ministry
efforts?
33. What direction do our service programs provide to our parish efforts in advocacy
-in changing the conditions that create poverty and suffering?
Advocating for Justice: Legislative Action
34. How does our parish help parishioners become better informed on public policy
issues that impact the poor and vulnerable?
35. In what ways do we encourage our members to become more active citizens,
exercising their right to vote and participating in public life?
36. What opportunities does our parish provide for parishioners to speak and act
effectively in the public arena on behalf of the poor and vulnerable, to bring our
values to debates about local, national, and international policies and priorities?
37. How effectively have we involved our parish community in advocacy efforts?
Creating Community: Organizing for Justice
38. What community organization exist in our local community or diocese"
39. How is our parish participating in or supporting such efforts?
Building Solidarity: Beyond Parish Boundaries
40. In what ways does our parish provide to our members information about the needs
of our brothers and sisters, especially the poor and vulnerable, in other lands?
41. What links does our parish have to people, parishes, or other groups around the
globe?
42. What opportunities does our parish offer us to act in solidarity on international
Purchase printed copies of this resource online from the USCCB Store.
Communities of Salt and Light: Reflections on the Social Mission of the Parish was
developed by two conference committees: Domestic Social Policy and International
Policy. After review and approval by both committees, the statement was approved by
the Administrative Board in September 1993 and by the Catholic bishops of the United
States at their General Meeting in November 1993. Communities of Salt and Light:
Reflections on the Social Mission of the Parish is authorized for publication as a
statement of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops by the undersigned. Monsignor
Robert N. Lynch General Secretary NCCB/USCC
ISBN 1-55586-701-4
Fourth Printing, January 1996
Scriptural excerpts from The New American Bible, copyright 1970 ( New. Testament
copyright 1986), the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. Used with
permission. All rights reserved.
Copyright 1994, United States Catholic Conference, Inc., Washington, D.C. All rights
reserved. Material from this book may be reproduced for use within a parish or school
after a copy of the book has been purchased. The copyright prohibits dioceses from
reproducing any sections of the book for distribution to parishes and/or schools.
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